HBO (USA): 29

Game of Thrones (2011–2019), an American fantasy drama TV series by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO, is based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Filmed in various locations like the UK, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, and Spain, it first aired on April 17th, 2011 and ended on May 19th, 2019 with a total of 73 episodes across eight seasons. Set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, the show boasts a diverse cast and follows multiple storylines. Critics and ...

Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014) is a popular American period crime drama created by Terence Winter and aired on HBO. It takes place primarily in Atlantic City, New Jersey during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and features Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, a notorious criminal. Winter drew inspiration from Nelson Johnson’s 2002 non-fiction book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, which focuses on the real-life kingpin Enoch L. ...

Eastbound & Down (2009–2013) is an American sports comedy television series that aired on HBO, created by Ben Best, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride. The first season received an initial order of six episodes from HBO, with producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay at the helm. Ferrell’s production company, Gary Sanchez Productions, produced the show which premiered on February 15, 2009. The second season, consisting of seven ...

The Fever (2004), a psychological drama produced by HBO Films and directed by Carlo Gabriel Nero, is based on the 1990 play of the same name by Nero and actor Wallace Shawn. The film centers on an unnamed urban sophisticate who experiences an existential crisis upon realizing the nature of world politics, economic exploitation, and shallow consumerism in her surroundings. In search for deeper understanding, she embarks on a journey to an unnamed third world country, which serves as an exotic location somewhere in Eastern ...

Entourage (2004–2011), an American comedy-drama series, debuted on HBO in 2004 and concluded in 2011 after eight seasons. Created and mainly written by Doug Ellin, the show follows Vincent Chase – a rising film star – and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate their burgeoning careers in Los Angeles. Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson served as executive producers, drawing inspiration from Wahlberg’s personal journey in the film industry.

Based on the events in 1839, Amistad (1997) is an American historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. It depicts the story of Mende tribesmen who were abducted for the slave trade aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad. The men managed to overpower their captors and take control of the ship off the coast of Cuba. This led to an international legal battle after their capture by a U.S. revenue cutter named Washington. Eventually, the case was resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841. The film follows Cinqué, a captive who leads an uprising against the crew, resulting in most of them being killed. Pedro Montes and ...

Ricochet (1991), an action crime thriller directed by Russell Mulcahy, follows the story of Nick Styles. Nick, a rookie police officer and law student in Los Angeles, meets Alice and falls out of touch with his childhood friend Odessa, who has turned to drug dealing in South Central. While patrolling a carnival, Nick and his partner Larry Doyle come across hitman Earl Talbot Blake and his accomplice Kim. A tense standoff ensues when Blake takes a hostage after killing drug dealers. Stripping off his equipment and uniform, Nick relies on a hidden gun in his athletic supporter to shoot Blake in the knee and ultimately ...

Initially titled HBO’s Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996), this American horror anthology television series aired for seven seasons on the premium cable channel from June 10, 1989, to July 19, 1996. Being on HBO, a network with different content standards than most others, allowed Tales from the Crypt to feature explicit elements like violence, profanity, sexual activity, and nudity. Each episode opens with a tracking shot leading to the front door of the decaying mansion belonging to the series’ host, the Cryptkeeper. The camera then moves down from the foyer into the basement while he emerges from his coffin and manically laughs; green slime ...

The Running Man (1987), an American dystopian action film directed by Paul Michael Glaser, portrays a world in which the United States has transformed into a totalitarian police state. This drastic shift is the result of a global economic collapse. As a means of controlling its citizens, the government relies heavily on violent television shows. The most popular among them is The Running Man, a game show where convicted criminals are pitted against armed mercenaries known as ‘stalkers’ and must fight for their survival in order to win a pardon and tropical vacation. The story follows Captain Ben Richards, a ...